The Original Lady Killer: The Hybristophilic Obsession with Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy is believed to be one of the most prolific serial killers in North American history. He was convicted of murdering 30 women between the years 1973 and 1978, but his kill count could well be over 100 victims. Sentenced to death for his crimes, Bundy spent the rest of his years in the Florida State Prison of Raiford. He was executed by an electric chair in January 1989.

In 2019,?Netflix premiered a new docuseries about Ted Bundy, the trials, and his overall story. People on social media started to talk about the series for a long time; about the grisly crimes committed by him, the victims, and even about how the court proceedings panned out. It was mostly talking about how incredibly attractive Ted Bundy was. Fangirls would make videos, posts, and blogs about how charming and attractive Bundy was. From fanart to fanfiction,?Bundy was seen more as a god than a convicted criminal. This, however, was nothing new. During the years of his trial, Bundy had even a fan group with women following him in and out of court, cheering him and taking photos. The obsession with Ted Bundy is one that is called hybristophilia.

Hybristophilia

According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology,?hybristophilia is the “sexual interest in and attraction to those who commit crimes.”?It is believed to?occur more commonly in women?than in men. The reason why hybristophilia occurs can stem from many factors, such as having extreme fantasies about someone highly controlling, the idea of being wanted, or overall morbid curiosity and arousal for danger.

This is, especially, true in the case of Ted Bundy. As stated earlier, Bundy had women come to the courthouse every day at his trial, cheering him on and even saying in news interviews how they believe his innocence. Women would swoon every time he walked in and out of the courthouse during his arrests and even?send him love letters in the mail. More than 40 years later, this obsession still reigns;?women claim to feel arousal about Bundy, his crimes, and his rationale for becoming a criminal. This begs the question, why does someone like Ted Bundy get praised the way he does, by his targeted group, nonetheless?

The Fascination of Serial Killers

A?New York-based sex therapist and clinical psychotherapist, Dr. Sharna Striar, claims that when something like an infamous murder trial occurs, many people flock to it because?they see it as a new reality that excites them. Serial killers and their crimes have an effect on normal people’s brains that can make them become obsessed with the morbidity of killing. This dopamine rush can, also, trigger an erotic response toward the perpetrator. Bundy had this image of a masculine man who knew how to take charge and control women so to speak. Striar believes that his way of handling women and how he attacked them sets off an exciting, arousing fantasy for some.

‘Fantasy” is a strong, fitting term here because that is what it is to Bundy’s fans: a fantasy! These people lust over Bundy from a safe distance, away from any actual harm. It is very easy to romanticize a dangerous felon when you know he has been dead for decades, his remains lying in the dirt. Reading about serial killers in the media offers the audience a one-way relationship in their mind, one where they control the narrative. That kind of autonomy can become erotic very quickly.

Women and True Crime

A?2018 study on the patterns behind the consumption of news about homicides?showed that subjects who expressed greater fear of becoming victims of some kind of public mass murder were significantly more interested in news stories of relevant content. Scholars claim that when hearing about true crime in the media, there is a certain disconnection between reality, seeing as though?violent crime has decreased significantly since the mid-nineties.

The Importance of studying Hybristophilia

It is important to remember Bundy and his crimes, as well as his victims and the impact he had left on so many people in his lifetime. One thing we should admit is that Ted had an attractive appearance. The media has tricked society into thinking that when they hear ‘serial killer’ they think of some giant, mutant-like, ugly, creepy guy who chases teenagers with a chainsaw. Bundy is a pivotal example of how that is not the case. Bundy was able to trick attractive young women into doing errands for him, or at the very least, trusting him to go off with him to an isolated area . These were not stupid women. From a social sciences point of view, there is, technically speaking, no such person as a “serial killer.” In the 1970s, everybody was used to trusting everybody. Doors could be left unlocked, children could hang out unattended and unsupervised, and young women would walk alone at night. A psychopath like Bundy took advantage of that situation. Being a chameleon – during his rampage and his escapes, he would change his looks so it would be impossible for people to get a proper identity of him. As time goes on, we are becoming more wary of helping tall, dark, and handsome strangers. At the same time, we are susceptible to forgetting how easily they can manipulate people into doing what they want. Ted Bundy weaponized his fetishization to manipulate women to look past his disgusting acts and fall in love with him, even to this day. Who says there may not be a copycat waiting on dating apps for the right opportunity? With a case like Ted Bundy, we should study his personality, charm, and techniques in order to better understand killers’ mindsets – and to protect those who are likely to fall under their spell.

The Original Lady Killer: The Hybristophilic Obsession with Ted Bundy - https://forloveofwriters.com/the-original-lady-killer-the-hybristophilic-obsession-with-ted-bundy/

Author - Priscilla Wiredu